. Annual report - Entomological Society of Ontario. Entomological Society of Ontario; Insect pests; Insects. 49. RHYNCHOPHORA—WEEVILS. W. Hague Harrington, Ottawa. The weevils are beetles belonging to that division of the Coleoptera known as Tetra- mera in the classification of early authors, and so distinguished because the beetles in- cluded in it have apparently only three-jointed tarsi or feet; the penultimate joint being so small and so closely connected to the preceding one as to be invisible without a mag- nifying glass. The greater number of these beetles can be readily separated from
. Annual report - Entomological Society of Ontario. Entomological Society of Ontario; Insect pests; Insects. 49. RHYNCHOPHORA—WEEVILS. W. Hague Harrington, Ottawa. The weevils are beetles belonging to that division of the Coleoptera known as Tetra- mera in the classification of early authors, and so distinguished because the beetles in- cluded in it have apparently only three-jointed tarsi or feet; the penultimate joint being so small and so closely connected to the preceding one as to be invisible without a mag- nifying glass. The greater number of these beetles can be readily separated from those of other families by their snouts or beaks, which in many species are so elongated and attenuated as to give their bearers somewhat of the appearance of lilliputian six-legged elephants. (See figure 31, which represents the apple curculio, Anthonomus quadrigibbus.) This well marked feature in their structure has gained for them their common name of " snout-beetles," and their scientific appellation of Rhynchophora, derived from the Greek, and signifying " ; If we carefully examine one of these insects we will see that the head is lengthened into a proboscis, at the end of which are situated the mouth-parts, Fig. 31- so reduced in size as to be almost invisible to the naked eye. On the sides of the rostrum (to use the scientific name for this proboscis) are set the antennae, usually slender and long; sharply geniculated or elbowed in many species, and commonly knobbed. They can be folded back so closely against the base of the snout, which is often grooved to contain them, as to be quite hidden. The beetles have hard, rounded bodies ; some love the sunshine, others lie hidden all day and when night falls creep forth from their hiding places to continue their depredations, or fly about in search of new fields. The legs are often short and not well fitted for rapid progress, or for digging. Many have ample wings to carry them about, but in
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectinsects, bookyear1872
